It’s time to move out of the cage and into the nest.  This year, we’re going to be taking Academic Magnet’s learning experience to a whole new level: outside.  This year, we’re going to immerse ourselves in nature!

There are some days where the sky is too blue and the breeze too inviting to stay inside. The thought of remaining in the building when it’s so welcoming outside has so many of us begging our teachers to let us out. So why not?

“You’re not going to learn anything outside.”

“Would you even focus outside?”

“Just…no.”

Well, these answers are no longer satisfactory.

For our end-of-the year project, the AP Chemistry class has decided to build a center to satisfy the needs of both students and teachers: the Raptor’s Nest. The Raptor’s Nest will be by the big oak tree near the teacher’s parking lot.  We are aiming to make a nice, relaxing area that will serve as a conduit to learning and other activities.
So far, we have built seating structures that can double as a bench and a table. The “table tops” on these seats can flip down, serving as a backrest for students to sit comfortably while listening to teachers. Need a place to take notes? Then flip the backside back up to look like tables, and scrawl away!

Junior Haywood White Thoreau-ly contemplates how to become one with nature.

Additionally, we hope to place a mobile white board near the tree. A schedule will be implemented where teachers may sign up to go outside on certain days and check out a readily available set of markers and erasers along with the whiteboard.  What’s better than learning while being in sync with nature?!

But this is not the end of our vision. Class of 2017, this message is for you: this spot could be the beginning of the legacy we will leave as we are finishing up our high school career. These benches could also serve as picnic tables, allowing the oak to become a senior’s lunch lounge. It’s also not unreasonable to add hammock stands – people could bring their enos to hang and enjoy their lunch under the gentle sunlight that filters through the oak’s refreshing shade.

Help us win a grant to build more. Go to LimRic Plumbing, Heating, and Air’s Facebook page, like them, then vote in the comments of the status describing the grant. You must like the page for your vote to count. Voting ends Monday May 23.